Use or lose perlite screenings

carat37(7)August 23, 2013

I've just rooted a bunch of jade cuttings in perlite that was screened through 1/8" mesh. Sadly, an awful lot of my "coarse-grained" perlite slid right through that mesh.

I've seen some people talking about using perlite that didn't fall through insect screen for the 5-1-1 mix. But can i use all perlite that fell between the 1/16-1/8 range for my 5-1-1, or do I need to mix it back in with bigger chunks of perlite as well?

And then for the dust that passes through the insect screen...is that total garbage? Usable to make hypertufa? Good for starting seeds?

I have tried to use it for seed starting by using it as a cover for seeds requiring a very light cover. It did not work as planned, made a crust on the surface. You could probably use it in the mix for seed starting, but not as a sprinkling on top. Al